Page 96 of Glass Wings
“Care to explain why you are four feet tall? I mean, not that you’re much taller as a full-grown adult, but still, it’s noticeable,” Djoser couldn’t help himself. This was going to be fun.
“I come to you, you miserable oaf, to tell you that you have a daughter who is in danger, and it takes you weeks to get here. Are you serious?” She turned to scold Arryn.
“I feel like I’m being ignored and have way too many questions,” Djoser interrupted.
Reign looked at Djoser up and down and stomped her foot like the child she was.
“Fine, but can you at least hide behind that bush? It’s ridiculous how visible and casual you both are.” She moved towards the area of the lawn that was outlined by shrubbery and young trees.
Reign crouched down, though she was hidden perfectly well standing upright. Djoser couldn’t help the smile on his face, seeing how perfectly flawed all of the strong Kinnari around him genuinely were.
They might have been starting to grow on him, though he’d never admit it. They were all assholes, of course.
“The night Vrae attacked Tristan, we saw him die, right?” Reign started to answer Djoser’s question in a hushed, yet hurried, voice. “Undoubtedly, he was not returning from an attack like that.”
Djoser cocked his head, his mouth open, stunned.
“And yet,” Djoser began, “we saw him again as a child. He said that he hadn’t died.”
“Right, you got it, bingo,” Reign said, flailing her arms as if the connection was obvious.
“So, you died then?” Arryn asked.
Reign stood up and looked towards the mansion they sat in front of, her gaze hard and unnerving.
“Inside that distastefully large home,” she began, clutching her fists. “Are seven or eight Vrae, plus their leader.”
Djoser stiffened at this. It was a struggle to kill one Vrae, even with all his might.
“And I’m guessing we are here because Arryn’s daughter is here,” he said, dropping his head down and rubbing the back of his neck with his hands.
“Right, I got tired of waiting for this big blond oaf to show up, so I tried to rescue her. It didn’t work. The girl is probably traumatized, and I got eaten.”
“Eaten?” Djoser raised an eyebrow. “How did that feel?”
“Like taking a bubble bath,” Reign snapped, “except worse. What kind of question is that, you fucking idiot?”
Djoser did his best to hold his laughter back. The Kinnari who stood in front of them was quite intimidating. If anything, he preferred to avoid her. However, she was undeniably adorable, standing there with her arms dramatically clenching by her sides in anger.
“Do we have a plan?” Arryn asked with dramatic flair, his chest puffing out slightly.
“Why are you standing like a peacock right now?” Djoser asked him.
“We have to get to my daughter,” Arryn said, ignoring Djoser.
Heroes are so dull.
Arryn pushed his tall body through the shrubs that hid him and began marching straight up the driveway.
“So much for being sneaky,” Reign hissed at Arryn’s back before scurrying behind him like a timid squirrel.
Djoser stood there for a moment, watching the two move towards a place that he was certain he wanted nothing to do with. It would feel good to unleash himself in a fight, that was true, but the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
This environment felt too calm, too normal. It creeped him out.
He followed the two up the driveway and straight up to the front door, where Arryn and Reign looked at him expectantly.
“If this goes badly,” Arryn started.
